Old Soul, Young Heart

  Seven Layer Bars Ingredients: ½ cup melted butter 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 cup shredded coconut (plus a little more) 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips 6 oz butterscotch chips 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk Directions: Pour butter into a 13x9 pan Sprinkle crumbs over the butter, then coconut, then chocolate chips, then butterscotch chips, then nuts Pour the sweetened condensed milk over it and spread evenly Bake at 350° for 30 minutes Cut into squares while warm They ain't pretty, but boy, are they tasty! Another recipe that is hardly a recipe at all. This took like five minutes to throw together! You must like coconut for this one. I feel like coconut is one of those things that you either really like or really do not like and don't want to eat it at all in anything. I am someone who really likes coconut. Gimme all the Mounds bars, coconut pie/cake, etc. These bars remind me of my mom's goodie trays at Christmas because th...

 Caramel Fudge Chocolate Cake  "Better Than Sex Cake" Recipe from: Quick Cooking May/June 1999 Ingredients: 1 chocolate cake mix 1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 jar caramel ice cream topping (warmed) 1 jar hot fudge ice cream topping (warmed) 1 container Cool Whip (thawed, 8 ounces) 3 chopped Skor or Heath candy bars Directions Prepare cake according to package Stir in 3/4 cup of chocolate chips Pour into a greased 13 x 9 pan Bake at 350° for 35 minutes Immediately poke holes in the cake with a meat fork Spread caramel and fudge toppings over cake Cool on a wire rack Frost with Cool Whip and store in refrigerator Sprinkle with candy bar pieces and remaining chocolate chips before serving I'm not even sure if you can call this a recipe since it's so easy haha. This is my favorite cake that is not Janet's. I used to request it at my birthday. It's very rich and moist and usually I don't like Cool Whip as a topping (too boring), but it goes perfe...

Monkey Bread Ingredients: 2 large tubes refrigerator biscuits (I used Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk) 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 1 stick butter Directions: Cut each biscuit into four pieces Mix white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon Shake pieces in a plastic bag with mixture Grease a bundt cake pan and drop pieces into pan Pour leftover cinnamon/sugar over pieces Mix butter, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon Pour over pieces Bake at 325° for 45 minutes Remove from pan immediately Another recipe I had never made! And, actually, I don't know if I've ever even had monkey bread. Mmm pull-apart cinnamon roll in a bundt pan. I think this would be a good recipe to make with kids because it was fun to cut up the biscuits into pieces and toss them around in the cinnamon sugar and then violently throw them into the pan. Be sure to put aluminum foil under the pan because I almost had another smoke-filled kitchen situation with sugary overflow! This didn't tu...

Macaroni Salad Ingredients: 1 lb macaroni ⅔ cup sugar 1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk ½ cup vinegar 1 tablespoon salt 2 cups Hellmann's mayo Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Green onions Shredded cheddar cheese Directions: Cook macaroni, drain, and rinse Mix macaroni with veggies and cheese Mix sugar, vinegar, salt, mayo, and sweetened condensed milk Stir everything together well Refrigerate overnight This is one of my potluck staples. It's easy, it makes a large batch, and everyone seems to like it. I much prefer this type of macaroni salad over like an Italian dressing type. It has a creamy texture to it, is sweet but not too sweet, and is tangy but not too tangy. It's a great summer side dish! You could add other veggies if you like.

Oreo Dessert "Dirt" Recipe from: Angie Stirzinger Ingredients: 1 package Oreos 1 stick butter 1 (8 0z) package cream cheese 1 cup powdered sugar 1 (12 oz) container Cool Whip 2 packages chocolate instant pudding Directions: Crush cookies (save ½ cup for topping and set aside) Melt butter and mix with crumbs Press into 13x9 pan and let sit until firm Mix cream cheese with powdered sugar Fold in 2 cups Cool Whip Spread cream cheese mixture onto crust Mix pudding according to package directions and spread over cream cheese layer Spread with remaining Cool Whip Top with the reserved cookie crumbs Dirt is a family go-to! We love it. I had never made it before this, though! I've just always enjoyed it when my mom or Aunt Peggy would make it. I like this version with the Oreo crust at the bottom, but I know there's another version out there that does not have a crust situation. It's a good dessert for the summer because it's nice and cool out of the fridge. And it...

Apple Pie Recipe from: Susan Scheffert Directions: Stir together: 3 lbs apples (peeled and sliced at ¼ an inch) ½ cup flour Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg  I used about ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and a good pinch of nutmeg Then add: 1 ¼ cups sugar 1 stick melted butter For crust, mix and roll out: 2 cups flour ½ cup oil ¼ cup water or milk 1 teaspoon salt Place apple mixture in a large glass dish and then lay crust over top Cut slits on top and sprinkle lightly with sugar Bake at 350° for 45 minutes This recipe is from my Grandma Scheffert--my dad's mom! Grandma lived upstairs at our house with us, which was a full apartment. We were very close to her, especially my brother. She cared for us when our parents were working (we never had a babysitter), dropped us off at and picked us up from school (we never rode a school bus), and took us on adventures during the summer. She loved reading and gardening and birds. She was a very active grandma and we were lucky to have her. I have lots of...

Chocolate Sour Cream Cookies Ingredients: 1 cup sugar ½ cup butter (softened) ½ cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 2 ¼ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ cup cocoa Directions: Combine first five ingredients (sugar, butter, sour cream, vanilla, eggs) and blend well Stir in remaining ingredients Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls two inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes Good if frosted These were one of my oft requested items and I've made them a few times in the past. I just love a chocolate cookie, what can I say? Frosting on these is a must, in my opinion. I had another coworker birthday coming up, so I made these for Ian. He's not a fan of store-bought frosting (well, la-di-da...just kidding...kinda), so I also made homemade frosting for these. I have a few frosting recipes in my mom's recipe book, but Ian provided his mom's recipe for me and I made that kind. The recipe for the frosting is below. I didn't ...